Finland helps Vietnam improve weather forecast capacity

Officials of the weather forecast division at the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting collect data and monitor storms (Photo: VNA)

Dien Bien (VNA)— The third phase of a project on upgrading Vietnam’s
capability to measure rain and detect storms and lightning has been launched at
the Pha Din Radar Station in northern Dien Bien province, reported the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological
Forecasting.

The project will be implemented in the 2016-18 period, using
20.2 million euros (21,447 USD) of Official Development Assistance (ODA) from
the Finnish government and reciprocal capital from Vietnam worth 168.3
billion VND (7.4 million USD).

One of the key objectives of the project is to improve Vietnam’s weather radar system, for which a Finnish company will install five new
radar stations and upgrade three old ones, in addition to providing the country
with new supporting equipment to ensure synchronisation among all the stations.

It will also help Vietnam build new, synchronised
meteorological systems across the country, Panu Partanen, representative of
Vaisala, the Finnish company, said.

Another important objective of the project is to build a
lightning detection system to respond to major convective storms, which will be
made up of 18 lightning detection venues across the countries. It is expected
to be completed within a year.

Vaisala will also offer training courses on the usage and
maintenance of the radar stations and lightning detection system to officials
at the National Centre for Hydro-Meteorological

Forecasting, along with
offering instructions on how to utilise the information retrieved from the
radars to make accurate weather forecasts.

The project is aimed at upgrading Vietnam’s capability to
manage natural disaster risks in these times of climate change and help protect
people’s lives and the community from natural disasters, according to Tran Hong
Thai, vice director of the centre.

It will also help complete a larger proposal on modernising
forecasting technologies and meteorological observation network, proposed by
the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources in 2010, he said.-VNA